>As my computer woes continue my thought is to take my data drive from the system and put it into one of those external USB enclosures so that I can extract my data to another system or 2.
>
>Does anyone know if these devices support NTFS?

I formated most of my USB#s with NTFS.
>
>While I think it's not a problem, am I correct that there should be no problem installing a 10,000 rpm drive into such a box?

Depends how warm the drive gets. Faster RPM usually translates into more heat, and not all USB boxes dissipate heat well. And you will be running continous operation. If you do, let the case open.

My tip: get a SATA-PCI controller, they should be between 10 and 25US$. There are also interface bridges for PATA<>SATA: cheaper but I have nerver used these.

regards

thomas